Important Buyer Information

“Purebred Puppy – FREE To Good Home.”

It’s easy to see why ads like this pull on the heartstrings of dog lovers who jump at the chance to adopt an adorable, soon-to-be-homeless puppy — especially when the puppy is a sought-after, expensive breed.

Dr. Audri G. Lanford, Co-Director of ScamBusters.org, cautions would-be puppy parents that puppy scams are growing at an astounding rate. ScamBusters.org is a public service website that has been helping people protect themselves from Internet scams since 1994.

It’s almost impossible for a consumer to recover money from a wire service if they’ve been scammed. It’s far better to use a credit card.

“Dog lovers have become frequent victims of a very old-fashioned scam: selling something that doesn’t exist,” says Dr. Lanford. In the case of puppy scams, con artists advertise puppies in a classified ad or online.

Some scammers claim to be seeking a home for a puppy they can no longer keep, and then ask you to wire them hundreds of dollars to ship the new, non-existent puppy to you. Other scammers, posing as breeders, have puppies listed for sale — often asking ridiculously low prices for purebred puppies that may otherwise cost $1,000 or more.

ScamBusters.org urges consumers to use due diligence when purchasing or adopting a puppy, especially online or via classified ads.

Here are two questions to ask:

1. Is the advertiser insisting that you pay via Western Union or another wire service?

“That’s a tell-tale sign of a scam,” says Dr. Lanford. “It’s almost impossible for a consumer to recover money from a wire service if they’ve been scammed. It’s far better to use a credit card.”

2. Does the alleged breeder seem to care more about payment than about the welfare of the puppies?

“That’s a big red flag. Reputable breeders will be far more concerned with the suitability of your home than the contents of your bank account,” says Dr. Lanford.

AN ANIMAL’S EYES SPEAKS A GREAT LANGUAGE

Teacup Pups was founded in 1984 by an animal lover and dog trainer.

If you have questions about any of our teacup puppies or larger breed puppies please feel free to call or email. We believe we have the best full service store, but if you find that you are looking for something that is not in our store let us know by email and we will do our best to get it to you at the best possible price.

Grooming services are available at our retail store. Walk-ins are welcome and so are questions. NYS License #836